


Sluggish in the smoke

by queen_ypolita



Category: Purposes of Love - Mary Renault
Genre: Community: trope_bingo, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-29 03:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1000213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_ypolita/pseuds/queen_ypolita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A nearby forest is on fire and Vivian struggles to get on with work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sluggish in the smoke

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the trapped in a dream square on my trope_bingo card, and also inspired by the Summer challenge at maryrenaultfics (the prompt was heat).

The smell of smoke was everywhere. Vivian had walked to town to take care of some errands during her free time in the morning, hoping to get away from it, but although the town centre wasn't as badly affected as the hospital, there had barely been any relief. Back on duty on Crecy, it was hot and stuffy—they had had to close all the windows that were normally open for ventilation because of it. The smell still lingered, but it wasn't quite as overwhelming as it had been. 

Last night in bed, she had tossed and turned, and the smell of smoke had lingered in her dreams too, leading to scenes of smoke-filled corridors and beds bursting into flames until she had woken up with a start, not sure what had been a dream and what was here, now.

It had been exceptionally dry spring, following a dry winter, and the nearby forest was on fire. The rumours doing rounds at the hospital tended to blame a careless walker failing to extinguish his cigarette properly for the blaze and other rumours had it that it might have been boys playing with matches, but in truth, nobody knew the cause. Whatever had started it, the fire had spread to the trees and grass and threatened some of the closest farm buildings. The hospital wasn't in danger, but as luck would have it, the winds were blowing the smoke towards it, and the unseasonal hot weather wasn't giving any signs of breaking soon. Firefighters and some local volunteers had been putting it out and trying to limit it spreading any further for two days. Some of them had been brought to the hospital with minor burns or after breathing the fumes; nothing life-threatening. As far as Vivian knew, the worst case was a farm labourer who had been in a shed when its roof had come down, and had a broken femur and some broken ribs in addition to the burns and breathing fumes. 

Inside, Sister Crecy expected work on the ward to continue as usual, but having to close all the windows was making it unexpectedly difficult. It was too hot and Vivian was sweating profusely under her uniform—it always felt too warm in the summer months and too cool in the winter. The stuffy air made her feel slow and stupid, and the smell of smoke was everywhere, she could taste it at the back of her mouth. The heat and the lack of ventilation were making the patients grouchy too, and Vivian and the new probationer, Langley, had been rushing back and forth on one errand or another all day: fetching drinks of water, puffing up pillows, answering questions about the blaze. The day seemed endless. Usually, when she was running around the ward all day, the day seemed to pass more quickly than when it was all normal and routine, but today time seemed as sluggish as the air. 

They had a new patient brought in in the early evening, and once they had got her settled behind screens at the end of the ward, Sister wanted Vivian to sit with her to get regular observations started. After the hectic day, she welcomed this undoubtedly short break from the hustle and bustle of the main ward. The first set of observations taken and the patient looking settled and restful, Vivian sat down, telling herself it was only for five minutes. 

She didn't mean to close her eyes but she must have as the next thing she knew was Sister Crecy calling her name. She got up quickly, trying to shake the heavy dullness of the smell of smoke from her head, in vain. It seemed to have got worse. She checked her watch, found it was time for another set of observations and opened her notebook. She had only just entered the first one when Sister Crecy hurried into the side ward. "Nurse Lingard," she said in a low voice, "we need to evacuate the ward. Someone's started a fire in the linen cupboard and I need you to bring Mrs Taylor out, you can handle that, can't you?" 

Vivian thought she had misheard, but Sister Crecy left as quickly as she had arrived and the sounds from the main ward had changed. Restlessness was beginning to turn into panic. Vivian put her notebook back in her pocket and started preparing Mrs Taylor for moving her. Then a piercing scream cut through the noise. 

Vivian woke up with a start, and took a moment to orient herself. Had she fallen asleep when preparing to evacuate Mrs Taylor?—but she looked settled and calm, and the noises from the ward seemed ordinary. She shook herself, no longer sure where her dreams ended and the everyday life started. She could only get on with it.


End file.
